These are a variety of dental probes and picks that are used by dentists in the treatment of teeth and gums. These probes are used to measure gum recession, bone loss or comprise a root canal condenser. The probes have ends with a narrow cross-section to be inserted into the gingival pocket to measure the depth of this pocket. The measuring is by visually seeing measured segments on the probe. These probes have an end that is at a right or oblique angle and is substantially straight. It will have measured segments so that the depth of the gingival recession can be measured. Exemplary of these probes are those of U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,531, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,420 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,537. A related dental instrument is serpentine in shape and is for periodontal cleaning and measurement and is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,544. This probe extends below the gum line to the root area of the tooth to measure the extent the gum has receded and the amount of bone loss. None of these instruments or probes can be easily used to provide accurate information on deposits or imperfections on teeth above the gum line. This particularly is the case for the measurement of plaque and tartar on tooth surfaces. The dental instrument of this invention solves the problem.